EXPERTS CALCULATE MINERAL WEALTH

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Experts to calculate potential of Greenlandic mineral wealth

  
02 MAR 2013
A joint Greenlandic and Danish university committee will seek to identify how best to use Greenland’s geological resources.
The University of Greenland/Illsimatusarfik and the University of Copenhagen have agreed to set up a joint committee to determine how best Greenland’s mineral resources can benefit the country. Greenland’s premier, Kuupik Kleist, and the Danish prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, support the initiative.
Sustainability
The committee will examine Greenland’s opportunities for exploiting its mineral resources and how they can create value for Greenland through, for example, economic growth and employment.
The committee will also study how mining, oil drilling and other large-scale raw materials projects can be undertaken as sustainably as possible and with as little impact as possible on the environment or the people of Greenland.
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Long history
– Greenland and Denmark have historically had a very close relationship and the University of Copenhagen has been sending faculty to conduct research in Greenland for more than 100 years. We have had researchers stationed at the Arctic Station, climatologists studying the ice cap, and the University of Copenhagen offers a programme in Eskimology and Arctic Studies, says University of Copenhagen Rector Ralf Hemmingsen.
– The joint committee will be able to gather the necessary knowledge to ensure that Greenland’s resources are developed as sustainably as possible and return the maximum yield for future generations.
Resumed relationship
Denmark’s Interest in Greenland’s mineral resources started as early as 1878 when a commission was established to undertake geological and geographic studies in Greenland. Their study quickly developed into a forum for Danish and Greenlandic scholars to study everything from natural phenomena to Arctic languages, anthropology, culture and history.
With the decision to grant Greenland Home Rule status in 1979, Denmark has gradually reduced its involvement in the country’s affairs. But the importance of maintaining a strong relationship was demonstrated after Greenland, now with Self-Rule status and even more autonomy from Copenhagen, drafted legislation that would make it easier for foreign companies to set up operations in Greenland, writes EurekAlert.org
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Collaboration
– The extraction of Greenland’s underground resources affects many different interests. Only by collaborating between universities and cultures are we sure to develop a sufficient insight into these interests, says Illsimatusarfik Rector Tine Pars.
Professor Minik Rosing, from the University of Copenhagen, often collaborates with Illsimatusarfik faculty and will chair the commission. As a geologist he drew international attention when he uncovered some of the world’s oldest rocks at a site north-east of Nuuk.
The committee
In all, the committee will be made up of nine members, all of whom will be experts in their field and hand selected by the two rectors.
The committee will examine the potential for extracting Greenland’s resources and make recommendations for specific measures that Greenlandic and Danish interests can take. These could consist of initiatives to ensure that Greenland benefits to the greatest extent possible from investments in developing its geological resources.
The committee’s findings will be presented by the end of this year in the hopes that they can form the basis for a public debate. The commission will be jointly administered by Illsimatusarfik and the University of Copenhagen.
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